Vengeance In Hamlet

833 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical analysis of hamlet's madness

William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, is a tragic piece of modern literature consisting of numerous deaths. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Fortinbras, Prince of Norway, and Laertes, son of Polonius all consist of a vengeance that make up a key role of their development. All three men seek revenge for the murder of their fathers. In the beginning of the play, revenge is sought throughout the first act as Fortinbras seeks vengeance after King Hamlet defeated his father in the battle to conquer more land. As the play progresses more deaths take place. King Hamlet later dies of a supposedly snake bite while sitting in his orchard. Hamlet loses his sanity after he learns about his father’s death, and acts out with rage and kills Polonius while talking …show more content…

No later after he finds out his beloved father has fallen, Horatio and Marcellus bring word to Hamlet that they have seen the ghost of the king. “Been thus encountered: a figure like your father, armed at point exactly, cap-a-pie” […] (2. 209-210). Hamlet pushes for Horatio and Marcellus to advise him further of what they have seen of his dear father. After Hamlet learns of the place where his father’s ghost was found he rushes off to catch even a small indication of his deceased King. The ghost of King Hamlet appeared before Prince Hamlet’s very eyes. Hamlet was at loss of words, he couldn’t believe his father was standing before him. It was then when the ghost spoke these words that Hamlet began to lose his sanity. “Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, a serpent stung me, […] The serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown” (5. 43-47). The words rang in Hamlet’s ears. His uncle, the man his mother had just married, his father’s brother had killed King Hamlet. The world no longer made sense to the Prince. He couldn’t help but lose his sanity; his uncle had killed his father. Hamlet planned his revenge against his uncle. He wrote a play that all of Denmark would see, and that maybe the new King would see just how much Hamlet knew of his …show more content…

He’s mentioned in the beginning when he warns Ophelia to stay away from her lover Prince Hamlet and when he and Hamlet fought to the death at the end of the play. However, before Laertes and Hamlet’s encounter, Laertes was informed that Hamlet had killed his father Polonius. After that was known, the son of Polonius and Hamlet’s uncle planned to kill Hamlet by foul play, an eye for an eye. They planned to poison the tip of Laertes’s sword so if Hamlet were to get cut he would die shortly after, however, they had a backup plan and it was poisoning Hamlet’s drink. Laertes does not handle the news of his father’s death wisely. Killing Hamlet in foul play could only ask for disaster, and so it did. Laertes dies at the end of the play when his and Hamlet’s sword gets swopped, thus Hamlet killing Laertes with his own

Show More
Related

  • Hamlet, Laertes & Fortinbras: Avenging Their Fathers

    1329 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the theme of revenge is very palpable as the reader examines the characters of Hamlet himself, as well as Laertes, son of Polonius, and Fortinbras, prince of Norway and son of the late King Fortinbras. Each of these young characters felt the need to avenge the deaths of their fathers who they felt were untimely killed at the bloody hands of their murderers. However, the way each chose to go about this varies greatly and gives insight into their characters and how they progress throughout the play.

    Read More

  • The Saint and the Sinner

    1662 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet, one of the most complex and dramatic characters to ever cross the theater is known as the crestfallen prince that enraptures the audience with his elegant intensity throughout the concord of acts. The intricate and profound life of Hamlet is by far Shakespeare’s most popular and powerful piece he ever created. The story begins on a dark winter night on the ramparts of the Elsinore Castle in Denmark when a ghost appears, who resembled the deceased King Hamlet. Claudius overthrew the throne by murdering King Hamlet and marrying his brother’s wife Gertrude. The apparition later spoke to Hamlet and showed his son that his Uncle Claudius had murdered him by slipping poisoning through his ear and declared that Hamlet must avenge his death. A group of actors traveling through Denmark reenact the murder of his father. Hamlet has been acting as though he has gone mad and goes to speak with his mother later that night to confront her with her sins of incest that she has committed which leads to the death of the eavesdropping snoop Polonius. In the aftermath of Polonius’s death, Ophelia goes mad with grief and sorrow and commits suicide by drowning herself in the river. Hamlet is told to leave the country and boldly aborts a mission set up by Claudius for him to be killed upon arrival in England. A sword fight breaks out amongst the men which later lead to the death of the entire royal family. At this moment Fortinbras, the Prince of Norway, sees the family lying on floor dead and decides to take power over the kingdom for himself.

    Read More

  • Polonius Flaws

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    The classic tragedy Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, tells the story of a vengeful nephew dealing with a fratricidal uncle. The play concludes with the majority of the main characters dead. The deaths of these characters are all consequences of their respective flaws. The flaws of Polonius and his two children conspicuously allow for their untimely deaths

    Read More

  • Plot Synopsis Of Hamlet

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a classic tragedy style play set in Denmark during the middle ages. The story depicts a young prince Hamlet, who returns home to Denmark in order to attend his father’s funeral, where he is shockingly surprised at what he finds out. His mother, Gertrude, has already been remarried to a man named Claudius and he has been named king despite Hamlet’s right to the throne. Hamlet’s father comes to him as a ghost and confirms his suspicions in regards to King Hamlet being poisoned by Claudius. Prince Hamlet is asked to avenge his father and set everything straight so the King can pass on peacefully, but the Prince is unsure if the ghost is genuine. In order to set things straight, Hamlet puts on a play he calls, The Mousetrap, in order to sniff out some answers and ultimately lead him to aspire to kill Claudius. As a result, Hamlet gets Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Ophelia, and Laertes all killed in the process of his quest. In the final part of the play, Hamlet kills Laertes with his own poisonous sword, and then kills Claudius, shortly before he himself dies of poison.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Acts Morally, Harms Others by his Actions, and Realizes his Tragic Limits

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most famous work of tragedy. Throughout the play the title character, Hamlet, tends to seek revenge for his father’s death. Shakespeare achieved his work in Hamlet through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces that hunt Hamlet throughout the play: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder. When Hamlet sets his mind to revenge his fathers’ death, he is faced with many challenges that delay him from committing murder to his uncle Claudius, who killed Hamlets’ father, the former king. During this delay, he harms others with his actions by acting irrationally, threatening Gertrude, his mother, and by killing Polonius which led into the madness and death of Ophelia. Hamlet ends up deceiving everyone around him, and also himself, by putting on a mask of insanity. In spite of the fact that Hamlet attempts to act morally in order to kill his uncle, he delays his revenge of his fathers’ death, harming others by his irritating actions. Despite Hamlets’ decisive character, he comes to a point where he realizes his tragic limits.

    Read More

  • How Does Shakespeare Present Ophelia's Trauma Of Revenge

    1494 Words  | 3 Pages

    In William Shakespeare 's play, Hamlet, after Hamlet’s father is murdered with poison by his brother Claudius, the contagion of vengeful actions begins to plague the people in the kingdom. Hamlet Sr. and his death are symbolic of the kingdom as a whole. Once he is poisoned the evil deeds of King Claudius begin to spread throughout Elsinore. Hamlet puts on an antic disposition and decides to seek retribution after speaking with his father’s ghost, and uncovering the truth about his death. The tainting of Hamlet’s mind and his need to seek revenge against his uncle ultimately leads to Hamlet’s insanity and demise towards the resolution of the play. Everyone in the kingdom becomes delusional and angry, and Shakespeare uses

    Read More

  • Hamlet, by William Shakespeare

    988 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is a story about revenge, murder, and insanity, which leads to the untimely deaths of many characters within the play. As Hamlet seeks revenge from the murderer of his father, the story unravels into a wave of conflict and play on of words; all the while getting ever closer to the truth behind Hamlets fathers death. Hamlet a son of a murdered father strays from his obligations though, and causes more trouble than what its worth to the ones he loves, just to keep his mind at ease; this leads to the rebirth of old characters and how they see him, some being left in sorrow and hatred over his impetuous actions. It’s a really remarkable play, and to see all these sons seeking revenge for there fathers really speaks about the human tendency to overlook key things; if you are the cause of such hatred what hate can be created because of that, this is what ultimately Shakespeare is trying to show us through “Hamlet” and to show it in such a way is a perfect example of this.

    Read More

  • Insanity and Procrastination: An Analysis of Hamlet’s Inaction and Mental Degeneration

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vengeance, redemption, and desire plague Denmark’s royal family in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet after a haunting family secret forces Prince Hamlet to choose between morality and honor. After Hamlet’s father dies, the kingdom hastily adjusts to his uncle Claudius’ reign; however, Hamlet remains devastated and loyal to his father. When his father’s ghost unveils that Claudius poisoned King Hamlet, the prince’s devastation mixes with a fervent desire for revenge that eventually dictates his every thought. Despite being ostensibly committed to avenging his father’s death, Hamlet habitually discovers reasons to delay action. As Hamlet’s procrastination persists, his familial relations deteriorate and ultimately cause him to reevaluate his position in society. Furthermore, Hamlet becomes chronically paranoid and calculates each aspect of his plan; therefore, the audience doubts his ability to successfully exact revenge. This paranoia escalates exponentially and fuels an uncontrollable obsession with perfection that usurps his sanity. Although Hamlet remains devoted to his murdered father, his perpetual procrastination eventually leads to mental degeneration through decaying relationships, prompting incessant paranoia, and fostering uncontrollable obsessions.

    Read More

  • Oedipus and Hamlet as Father Figures

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Hamlet Prince of Denmark young Hamlet is left facing the outcomes of the conflict his father had with his brother. Old Hamlet is dead, killed by his own brother for the thrown of Denmark. Young Hamlet is in deep morning over the loss of his father and now he has to handle the remarriage of his mother to his own uncle, the man who in cold blood killed his father. Hamlet, with the death of his father, is acting strangely but his whole outlook changes for the worst when his father's ghost visits him. He finds out the true causes of his death and he is influenced by his father to seek revenge. Hamlet's father tells his son to kill his uncle, Claudius because he is the cause of his death. Hamlet loved his father deeply and would do anything for him. He becomes enraged with anger and hate for Claudius and begins to plot his revenge, Claudius' own death. Throughout the play his father's ghost visits Hamlet. Even after his death he has a great control over his son and his actions. These visits are a constant reminder to Hamlet of the truth. Knowing the truth of his father's death has driven Hamlet to the brink of insanity. The only thing he can think of is revenge. His father's death and prior conflict with his brother has left Hamlet in a position of honoring his father and doing right by him, and the only thing he sees fit to do is rid himself of the man that brought about the anger Hamlet is feeling. In the end Hamlet finally gets the revenge he sought with the death of Claudius.

    Read More

  • How Does Shakespeare Use Fortinbras As A Foil To The Nature Of Revenge

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    Betrayal, murder, deception, and especially revenge are all developed throughout Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet. Familial relations shatter due to the incestuous sins that Hamlet cannot condone. A once dignified and esteemed King dies at the hands of his vile brother, or to put it simply, fratricide. Young Hamlet will not sit idly by while this serpent reaps the benefits of the position. The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare implies that, although revenge appears to be reflective of society's value of honoring family in hopes of restoring life before tragedy along with demonstrating strength, the underlying meaning reveals how seeking retribution will ultimately lead to one’s demise and unintentional, catastrophic repercussions.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Revenge Essay

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    Revenge almost always has the makings of an intriguing and tragic story. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a perfect example of how revenge unfolds and what it unveils. The play tells the story of Hamlet, the prince of Denmark. Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, marries his mother soon after his father’s death. Hamlet greatly disapproves of the hasty marriage and suspects foul play. His suspicions are confirmed when the ghost of his father appears and tells him that Claudius murdered him. Hamlet’s father asks him to take revenge upon Claudius, and soon everything takes a drastic change. The courses of revenge throughout Hamlet surround each character with corruption, obsession, and fatality.

    Read More

  • The Delay of Hamlet

    1600 Words  | 4 Pages

    Taking revenge against his enemy can be a difficult task for young Hamlet, especially when the circumstances and conditions he is under require him to reevaluate his morals of life and soul. The delay in Hamlet’s revenge of his father’s death is caused by three main reasons: he is under strict and almost impossible guidelines laid out by the ghost of his father, King Hamlet, he is afraid of death either suffering it or inflicting it on someone else, and his lack of reasoning in committing a murder that he did not witness himself.

    Read More

  • Nature of Revenge

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play, there are several characters wanting vengeance like that of Hamlet. Throughout the play, Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras all had a tragic death of a family member which caused their decision for revenge. Consequentially, these revenges caused the demise of two characters and the rise of power of another. The retaliation shown by the Prince of Denmark, as well as Laertes led to the downfall of their government. In the play, Hamlet seeks revenge on his uncle Claudius.

    Read More

  • Hamlet, A Noble Prince

    1585 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet’s mourning about the death of his father and the remarriage of his mother drives him to madness. This is the main characters inner tragedy that Shakespeare expresses in the play. First he considers suicide but the ghost of King Hamlet sends him on a different path, directing him to revenge his death. Shakespeare uses Hamlet to articulate his thoughts about life, death and revenge. Being a moral character he must decide if revenge is the right thing to do. Shakespeare relays many scenarios of reasoning to the audience about mankind His hero sets the wrongs on mankind right again.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Revenge In Hamlet

    2463 Words  | 5 Pages

    His father was killed by Hamlet and his sister was driven insane due to the series of events that took place because of Hamlet. Like Hamlet, Laertes wants to avenge his father by killing the man who killed Polonius. As described earlier, Hamlet is slow to act. Laertes, on the other hand, acts quickly and with precision, wasting no time in acquiring his target and formulating a plan. Robert Palfrey Utter, Jr., puts it best, Hamlet and Laertes both come to the same conclusion that murder must be carried out, but Hamlet reaches that conclusion only “after he has had a few minutes to think it over.” (140) Once Laertes finds out that the man who killed his father was Hamlet he is ready to charge in and kill him as soon as possible. He is only stopped by Claudius, who advises him on a more subtle approach. Straight off the bat it is clear how efficient Laertes is compared to Hamlet. Hamlet wastes a large amount of time scheming up complex ideas on how to get a confession out of Claudius and how to kill him. Laertes on the other hand wastes no time in getting a straight and to the point plan that he can execute immediately. After spending more than half the play watching Hamlet squirm around on the stage getting almost nothing accomplished, the audience would be acutely aware of the stark difference between Hamlet and Laertes even though they share the same motivations. Laertes has his speed but he shares in Hamlets lack of critical thinking when he gets hot headed. He is in such a blind rage that he doesn’t think on what he is agreeing to do with Claudius. Just like Hamlet, his brash actions cost those around him his life. In carrying out the plan, the King, the Queen, Hamlet, and he all die to the poison that was used in the duel. Hamlet was slow and reckless while Laertes was quick and reckless. Wilds sums up the relationship between Hamlet and Laertes perfectly, “Laertes and Hamlet have been foils to each other

    Read More

More about Vengeance In Hamlet

Open Document